Clarke: Audits mean transparency

The Baltimore City Council still has time at its July 16 meeting to put the mandatory audit of city agencies on the ballot. As for how to afford this mandate, we ill never know until regular audits demystify where the money is and how it's being spent.

Council approval of this mandate would lay a foundation for less guesswork and more transparency in the city's budget deliberations next year and in subsequent years.

Mary Pat Clarke, Baltimore

The writer, a Democrat, represents the 14th District on the Baltimore City Council.